D.C.: N.C. Tobacco Farmer Leaves Brother Waiting

Source from:  By DERRILL HOLLY, Associated Press Writer 07/05/2004

As his own brother mingled with reporters outside the probation office, the farmer dubbed "Tractor Man" slipped out another exit and quietly returned to North Carolina. Dwight Ware Watson, 51, was released Thursday night from the D.C. Jail and picked up by A.J. Kramer, the director of the Federal Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia. Watson arrived at the probation office before 9 a.m. Friday. Although his eldest brother, George B. Watson, arrived a short time later, he had not seen or spoken to him. "I did not come all the way to not see my brother," said the elder Watson as he waited in the July heat. But more than seven hours later, George Watson and the reporters with him learned that Dwight Watson was back in his home state. He was with David Cox, an engineer from Blounts Creek, N.C., who accompanied him to the offices of the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency. The two men attended Oak Ridge Military Institute in Greensboro, N.C., together 35 years ago. George Watson denied any knowledge of his brother's plans. He also downplayed the possibility of a major celebration occurring this weekend. During his court appearances, Watson had repeatedly been warned against trying to turn his case into a forum on federal tobacco policy. Although he has been released, prosecutors are still considering an appeal which could lead to reinstatement of his six year sentence. Concern about drawing attention to his case may have played a role in his decision to not speak. On March 17, 2003, Watson splashed his tractor into a National Mall pond, where he told police he had bombs. That prompted a 47-hour standoff, during which streets were blocked off, creating a traffic nightmare. He was sentenced June 23 to six years in prison. But on Wednesday, the same judge slashed the sentence to 16 months, most of which Watson had served since his arrest. The judge cited a recent Supreme Court ruling on use of sentencing guidelines. Since Dwight Watson's arrest, his remaining 1,000 acres have been rented to neighbors who have continued to grow and harvest cotton, tobacco, soybeans and vegetables. Watson Farms used to grow and sell about 200,000 pounds of tobacco a year, but today production is limited by a federal allotment to about 80,000 pounds, George Watson said. Dwight Watson was tobacco farmer of the year in North Carolina in 1982 when he sold his crop on commercial market for $2.04 a pound and avoided turning over any tobacco to the government's stabilization corporation. The fall before his arrest, Watson earned $1.70 a pound for a much smaller crop. Enditem